Journal Entry for Friday, Dec 30th

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – The Book Once you start this debut thriller--the first in a trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson, it is a serious page-turner. Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist that is freshly sentenced to jail for libeling a shady businessman, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Just as his prospects appear bleak he is presented an unexpected offer to resurrect his name by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch is that he must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With no other options, he accepts and eventually enlists the help of Lisbeth Salander, a multipierced and tattooed Lisbeth Salander, an investigator who is a vulnerable superhacker. A misunderstood genius with a dark past and cache of authority issues, there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo. One of the fastest reads I’ve had in years. Loved it! I give it 5-Stars.

Journal Entry for Wednesday, Dec 28th

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Today was movie day!. This movie was just what we expected, another loud, intense, fast paced action movie with nearly impossible physical acts. However, the mission itself was not just another mission. The IMF is shut down when it becomes implicated in a global terrorist bombing plot that blows up the kremlin in Red Square. Ghost Protocol is initiated and Ethan Hunt and his rogue new team must go undercover to clear the name of the organization. With no help, no contact, and “off the grid”, they travel the world doing what they do best, taking out the ‘bad guys’. Granted the plot line and dialogue are thin and the action toys over the top, but isn’t that what it’s suppose to be. Needless to say, it was right up our alley. We liked it and give it 4-Stars.

Journal Entry for Saturday, Dec 17th

The Descendants Today we decided to go to the South Point Casino and take in a movie before heading over to the “M” to use Connie’s free slot play. Based upon a favorable rating from our neighbors, we chose The Descendants, staring George Clooney. It is about the sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey of Matt King, an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family's land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries. We found this to be a very emotionally complex film. As movies go, I thought it moved just a little slow at times, however, that is probably what made it seem so real and down to earth. I must admit that I really enjoy George Clooney’s ability to portray humor and emotion in vary realistic terms. We both thought his performance was very 'human'. Some have classified it as the most well-rounded and emotionally raw performance of his distinguished career. We both really enjoyed and give it a strong Four Stars.

Journal Entry for Tuesday, Dec 13th

The Litigators by John Grisham I just finished The Litigators by John Grisham and enjoyed it immensely. It’s about two lawyers at a firm called Finley & Figg — a two-bit operation always in search of their big break. Mostly  ambulance chasers looking for the next great car wreck, they also specialize in quickie divorces and DUIs. In partnership together for more than twenty years, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like the ‘Odd Couple’, yet somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy office in southwest Chicago. All of a sudden their routine is changed when David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender, and finds himself literally at the doorstep of their ‘boutique’ firm. With their new associate on board, F&F feels they are ready to tackle a really big case.  When Varrick Labs, a giant pharmaceutical company with annual sales of $25 billion, comes under attack after several patients taking their extremely popular drug, Krayoxx, the number one cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, sufferer heart attacks, Wally smells money.  A little online research confirms Wally’s suspicions - a huge plaintiffs’ firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit against Varrick, and all Finley & Figg have to do is find a handful of people who have had heart attacks while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune. With any luck, they won’t even have to enter a courtroom! Before you know it, everything goes south, in more ways than you can count. I Thought this well written story was extremely intriguing and couldn’t wait to get back to it each time after I had to put it down. Unlike the last book I read, which dragged on for nearly two months, I finished this book within nearly a week. Certainly one of the best books I’ve read this year. I give it 5-Stars.

Journal Entry for Saturday, Dec 10th

The Christmas Spirit (Click picture to Enlarge) Today we joined our downstairs neighbors and frequented two of our favorite spots for getting in touch with the Christmas spirit. Our first stop was at the Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Garden. It’s winter time again and the Bellagio continues to impress with this year’s ‘golden’ Christmas tree. The collage on the left was created using a dozen of the pictures of took of the exhibit. This years' spectacular centerpiece is a 42-foot tall Shasta Fir Christmas tree that is decorated with more that 1,700 gold ornaments and 13,500 lights. The exhibit also includes 34 penguins that skate around the display and a trio of topiary polar bears that are made of over 35,000 white carnations. As it never disappoints, we try to make this a traditional stop every December. Click here for info and to view more pictures plus a 55-picture slideshow ... Holiday Spirit. A Toast - Happy Holidays After this stop we drove to Lake Las Vegas to take in their tree lined streets. Each establishment had a fully decorated tree outside its front door as well as lights on light posts and patio rails. There was also a huge outside Christmas tree as well as several indoor trees at the Casino. After an hour of ‘strolling’ the streets of the quaint Italian village, we went inside and topped off the evening with the dinner special at Harry’s, a 6ox filet mignon with a steamed Maine lobster tail, and fresh asparagus accompanied by a nice bottle of Pinot Noir.

Journal Entry for Tuesday, Nov 29th

Staycation – Day 3 After another breakfast in our room over GMA and our books, we decided to drive over to the Palms, where Connie had some free slot play. We had a huge lunch at their 24/7 Café, using a $50 LVA that was about to expire. We played some more after lunch and then drove to the Stratosphere Casino for ‘happy hour’ at the 107 Lounge, located on the 107th floor of the Stratosphere Tower. Without a doubt, the best view of the city, it is even more impressive at night when the city is in full glow. The happy hour here, with 1/2 price martinis and 1/2 price appetizer's, is one of the best deals in town. We both tried the Blue-Tini (made with Absolut Açai Berri Vodka, Stolichnaya Blueberi Vodka, fresh lemon and blueberry), which we thought was a little too sweet. However the Chocolate Masterpiece Martini (Made with Godiva Chocolate Vodka and dark and white Godiva Chocolate Liqueur) was to die for. We also ordered the Cheese Plate Combination with St Andre, Maytag Blue and Manchego cheeses, fresh seedless grapes, dried apricots, and multigrain and walnut raisin toast. It was an excellent accompaniment. All for 1/2 price; such a deal. After a very relaxing couple of hours here we went to the Paris Casino where we had tickets to the Anthony Cools show. He is a hypnotist and comedian. Quite different and very funny. By the time we got back to our suite it was nearly midnight, and needless to say we headed straight to bed.

Journal Entry for Monday, Nov 28th

Staycation – Day 2 After breakfast in our room, we picked up the car from valet and drove to the Palms to see Hugo in 3-D; only to find the theaters there closed for the day. Hello? So we then drove to the South Point and saw it there. Click “read more” at the bottom of the post for our review. After the movie we went to the “M” and played for a couple of hours before heading over to see the Mystic Falls Park Christmas show at Sam's Town. After ordering a couple of Mimosa’s, we sat back and enjoyed the show - a four story rolling waterfall inside a ten-story atrium comes alive with a lights and laser show that are complemented by fountains that shoot eight stories into the air and a special symphonic holiday music score recorded especially for Sam's Town by the Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra. We try and make it a point to visit this every year to get into the “holiday spirit”. After the show we drove to Brad Garret’s Comedy Club at the Tropicanna Casino. The headliner was Monique Marvez, a standup comic from Miami, known for her biting sarcasm and sardonic attention to gender issues. We both thought she was quite funny and enjoyed the show. Finally, it was time to return to our suite at the RIO and catch some shuteye.

Journal Entry for Sunday, Nov 27th

Staycation - Day 1 - And The Celebration Continues Connie Reading Her Book in our LR Suite After our Thanksgiving dinner at Mimi’s Café, we started our 41st anniversary celebration by attending Kathleen Madigan’s comedy show, “Gone Madigan at the South Point Casino. After taking a day off, today we started the continuation of our anniversary celebrations by watching the Patriots trounce the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-20. We then drove to the Strip and checked into one of the RIO Casino’s all-suite hotel rooms for a three night staycation. After getting settled, we went down to their Village Seafood Buffet for dinner. This 7-day a week, 13,000 square foot all-you-can-eat seafood buffet features lobster, snow crab legs, shrimp, fresh shucked oysters, sushi and dozens of seafood items from around the world. Even though the lobster tails were small Australian rock lobster, you don’t even want to know how many we ate! After this delicious meal we walked over to The Crown Theater to see the “The Platters, The Cornell Gunter Coasters & The Marvelettes” show.  For a full hour they performed some great renditions of such rock and roll classics as My Prayer, Please Mr. Postman, Charlie Brown, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Yakety Yak and about 20 other million selling songs. It was very good. After the show we went up to the  VooDoo Rooftop Nightclub for a nightcap. Long past our normal bedtime, we finally made it back to the room and straight to bed.

Journal Entry for Friday, Nov 25th

Black Friday Well today is what is now known as Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving Day. Traditionally it is the beginning of the Christmas shopping season and is perhaps the biggest shopping day of the year. Though not the original explanation, today it is generally understood to indicate the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or are "in the black". It is also our 41st wedding anniversary; and in all of our 41 years together, I think I can honestly say that we have never gone shopping on this day. Today after exchanging cards, Connie made us waffles for breakfast. Between watching some prerecorded TV shows, we watched our latest Netflix movie, Arthur. In this fresh new look at a classic story, Russell Brand reinvents the role of loveable billionaire Arthur Bach, an irresponsible charmer who has always relied on two things to get by: his limitless fortune and the good sense of his lifelong nanny and best friend Hobson (played by Helen Mirren), to keep him out of trouble. We actually enjoyed it and would give it a strong 2.5 Stars. Connie starting a new book, and me playing with my photography site, we whiled most of the day away. At dinner time we, as like I’m sure most Americans did, had leftovers from yesterday’s turkey dinner. Following dinner we headed over to the South Point Casino to see Kathleen Madigan’s comedy show “Gone Madigan”, based on here newest CD. This is the third time we have seen her in person and again we were not disappointed. We were in stitches for the entire show and both agreed that it was her best performance yet. If you haven’t seen her before, or just haven’t seen her for a while, you can pick up her latest CD on Amazon for $12.00. Check her out now … Kathleen Madigan @ Amazon

Journal Entry for Thursday, Nov 24th

Thanksgiving Day 2011 Click photo to enlarge Today was just another beautiful, warm and sunny day, in the low seventies. We sat around most of the day, I playing on the computer, Connie reading, and watching a couple of prerecorded TV shows. After finally showering and getting dressed we headed out to Mimi’s Café for our Turkey Day dinner; and what a dinner it was. I had the homemade Roasted Tomato & Basil Bisque while Connie had her favorite, French Onion with Swiss, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Click photo to enlarge These were served with a warm bread basket that included Mimi’s famous carrot raisin nut bread and other assorted breads and biscuits. Dinner was a traditional meal with four generous slices of white turkey breast on top of a cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, broccoli, squash, side of cranberry sauce and oodles of gravy. For dessert we both had two huge squares of Mimi’s Bread Pudding, baked from scratch with plump raisins, vanilla and a special spice blend that was served warm with a buttery whiskey sauce. These were so big that we had them both boxed and had them for dinner later in the evening.

Journal Entry for Sunday, Nov 20th

Final Sendoff Dinner at Coyotes Mexican Cafe We set the alarms for 6:00am, as we had to have Rick to the airport by 8:15 to catch his flight home. We enjoyed a nice leisurely breakfast of eggs over easy, sausage and English muffins before getting ready for the morning’s airport run. I know Connie was thrilled to have this opportunity to spend time with her brother and only wished it could have been longer. After saying her goodbyes, she asked Rick to pass on ‘hugs’ to Belen, Marisa and Cayden from her. Click the picture on the left to enlarge.

Journal Entry for Saturday, Nov 19th

Eldorado Mine Tour Today I took Connie’s brother Rick to the Techatticup Mining Camp in Eldorado Canyon for a tour of the Techatticup Mine. The Techatticup Mine is the oldest, richest and most famous gold mine in Southern Nevada. Along with others in the nearby area, it produced an estimated 250 million dollars in gold, silver, copper and lead. This was actually the fourth time in two years that I have made a visit to this area, yet each time I visit I seem to find new things to photograph. After a tour of the mine and the old mining camp on the surrounding property, we drove down to Nelson’s Landing, located at the edge of the Colorado River. To see more pictures, check out this page on my Photo Gallery site …Techatticup Mine Tour. After we returned home we showered and changes and headed out to Coyotes Mexican Cafe & Cantina where Rick treated us to dinner. Though not the best Mexican food in Vegas, the portions were huge and the service was very good. The Mexican beers that we ordered each came with a ‘chilled’ glass. I can’t remember that last time I was served a chilled glass with a beer. It was a nice finish to a very enjoyable visit with family.

Journal Entry for Friday, Nov 18th

J. Edgar and Texas de Brazil
Today we picked up Connie’s brother from his week long training seminar at The Orleans Casino and headed to the South Point Casino to see the movie, J. Edgar, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover, who became one of America’s most powerful men as head of the FBI for nearly 50 years. Serving through eight presidents and three wars, Hoover utilized methods both ruthless and heroic to keep ‘his’ country safe. Always projecting a guarded persona in public and in private, he let few into his inner circle. Among those closest to him were his protégé and constant companion, Clyde Tolson, played by Armie Hammer, and his loyal secretary, Helen Gandy, played by Naomi Watts. He lived most of his live with his mother, played by Judi Dench. Though the movie is well acted, it is somewhat shallow in that it never really provide and great detail about anything; either his life or the secrets that he collected on individuals that he used as blackmail to keep his job through eight presidents. I think if there were more emphasis on the FBI itself and G-men with Tommy guns, and less on his relationship with Tolson, I would have liked it more. It was good, but not great. We give it 3-Stars.


After the movie, we took Rick to Texas de Brazil for dinner. He was impressed! After sampling the lobster bisque and their extravagant 60-item gourmet salad area featuring imported cheeses, specialty salads, gourmet vegetables and traditional side items, he had nearly every sizzling meat offering that the carvers provided, including filet mignon, and several cuts of beef, pork, lamb, sausage, and chicken; all flame-grilled to perfection. Needless to say, we were all stuffed by the time we left. After dinner we stopped the Ethel M's Cactus Garden on the way home to view its eight acres of cactus, which at this time of year are covered in tens of thousands of Christmas lights.

Journal Entry for Sunday, Nov 13th

Airport Duties Lunch at East Coast Eats Friday we traveled to Jim’s house to pick up him and Patrick for the trip to the airport and their return home – back to Kansas. We stopped at an In-N-Out Burger for a quick lunch on the way to the airport and were once again treated by Patrick. On Saturday, it was off to the airport again to pick up Connie’s brother who was flying in from Colorado for a week-long training seminar at The Orleans casino. We took him to our favorite new place, East Coast Eats, for lunch. He agreed that the Steak Bomb and homemade onion rings were the best he has had. For dinner we picked up five slices of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory just up the street from us. Valley of Fire State Park Today I cooked us a nice big breakfast before we headed off for the Valley of Fire State Park for a day of hiking and picture taking. Upon our return we picked up some chicken wings and I cooked up some nachos that we ate over the New England Patriots vs New York Jets game, and what a game it was. The Patriots ended up trouncing the Jets 37-16, giving them first place in the AFC East.

Journal Entry for Wednesday, Nov 9th

Buca de Beppo Waiting on Dinner Today Jim and Patrick came over for some wine and conversation before heading to the Strip for dinner and a show. Patrick treated us all to dinner at Buca de Beppo’s, a “funky” Italian ‘chain’ restaurant that is one of his favorites. Though we had an unfortunate experience with the service, the ‘huge’ portions of food, meant to be shared and served family-style, perfect for passing around the table, were very good.  The calamari, coated in zesty breading was fried to  perfection and served with spicy marinara sauce, was the most tender I’ve had in a long time. We all thought the lasagna was excellent, however, the meatballs and spaghetti was just average. Now this is a Sundae! The highlight of the meal was dessert. We opted to share the colossal brownie sundae. Twelve decadent chunks of freshly-baked brownies layered with six scoops of vanilla bean and chocolate ice cream, topped with caramel and chocolate sauces then buried in mounds of whipped cream and topped with a cherry! We were bummed, Connie got the cherry. After dinner we all headed over to the Hilton Casino to see the Greg London show, Impressions That Rock. It wasn’t quite as polished at Patrick was hoping for, however the rest of us really enjoyed. It was a great way to top off a nice day of sharing with good friends. Again, we thank Patrick for treating.

Journal Entry for Tuesday, Nov 8th

Dinner at Luxor Cafe Today we lounged around playing on the computer, reading, watching TV, etc. until mid-afternoon, at which point we finally showered, dressed and headed to the Strip to meet Jim and Patrick for dinner. First, we stopped at Ellis Island where we both had $10 free slot play. Then we headed over to the Palms where Connie had $10 more dollars in free slot play. Connie played slots and I played poker while we waited for Jim to text us with dinner info. Even though we both won money at Ellis Island, we ended up loosing at the Palms. As they were spending a the night at the Luxor, we ended up meeting them for a light dinner at the Pyramid Café. Connie had pancakes, Jim and Patrick both had hamburgers, and I had the chicken pot pie. This was the second time I’ve had this dinner selection, and, as usual, it was excellent. We made plans for Wednesday and then all went our separate ways for the remainder of the evening.

Journal Entry for Sunday, Nov 6th

Brunch With Jim & Patrick After picking up Jim Herring and Patrick at the airport on Friday evening, they took Saturday to run some errands, take care of some things around his house, get in a little gambling and carousing on the Strip, and to take a nightime helicopter ride over the Strip. Today we had them over to our place for a champagne brunch. We started with mimosas and a fruit cup topped with a dollop of French Vanilla ice cream and accompanied with a fresh baked pumpkin bread that Connie had made. For the main course we chowed down on eggs, garlic browned potatoes, bacon, and English muffins, accompanied by coffee and refills on mimosas. After a nice long leisurely breakfast, we retired to the living room for a few more hours of relaxing conversation. It is always nice to spend time with good friends. After making some dinner plans for later in the week and reservations to go see Greg London’s “Impressions That Rock!” at the Las Vegas Hilton, they headed out for a stop at Ethel M’s Chocolate Factory before returning back to Jim’s house. Click on picture to enlarge.

Journal Entry for Friday, Nov 4th

Tower Heist From a low of 43 degrees this morning, to a high of 63 this afternoon with partly cloudy skies, it was just one more very nice “fall” day. After lunch at home, we went to see the movie Tower Heist, a comedy caper about working stiffs who seek revenge on the Wall Street swindler who stiffed them, starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy. Workers at a luxury Central Park condominium, they discover that the penthouse billionaire has stolen all of their retirement monies. They seek revenge by plotting a break-in of his penthouse and a heist to reclaim what he took from them. Though a little weak in places, overall we thought it was a fun movie with a very good cast. After all, isn't that why one goes to the movies - to be entertained? We give it 3-1/2 Stars. Before returning home, after the movie we headed over to the “M” Resort for a little gambling action and dinner. I won $350 in the poker room. Later in the evening, I went to the airport to pick up Jim Herring and his friend Patrick, who will be in town for the next week.

Journal Entry for Saturday, Oct 29th

Alpin Hong Tonight we had tickets for Alpin Hong at the Henderson Pavilion up the street. A one-man piano show, he has to be one of the most gifted pianists we have ever seen.  We first saw him give a free recital at the Henderson Events Center back in September of 2009, and were both blown away. We both agreed that we had never heard anyone play with such passion.  Tonight’s performance, featuring the music of Mendelssohn and Bach, was no exception. He is not only a great musician he is an excellent showman as well.  He actually makes the piano sound almost liquid. After a couple of performances with special guest Simon Boyar, a renowned percussionist who played marimba and drums, he shared the stage with the Las Vegas Youth Orchestra. He performed several sets that showcased some of the more talented young performers. Though we would have liked to see him play more, the performance was exuberant. Click here to view a collage of concert pictures ... Alpin Hong Alpin Hong is a native of Michigan and made his orchestral debut with the Kalamazoo Symphony at the age of ten. He moved to Los Angeles soon after and garnered competition victories at a young age with wins at the 1989 Stravinsky Piano Competition, the 1993 SYMF Competition and the 1994 Los Angeles Spotlight Awards Competition. He was the winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition in 2001. His teachers include Mark Richman and Emilio del Rosario. He completed his Master’s degree as a student of Jerome Lowenthal at The Juilliard School.

Journal Entry for Thursday, Oct 27

Hiking Day Today was another one of my regularly scheduled Thursday hikes with the rock hounds from the Henderson Heritage Park Senior Center. That means up at 5:30am. Connie gets to stay home alone and read and watch movies while I go traipsing around the Nevada desert. Today we traveled to Ireteba Peaks Wilderness Area and Keyhole Canyon. Even though Ireteba Peaks Wilderness Area turned out to be a ‘bust’, Keyhole Canyon was a very pleasant surprise. With literally hundreds of ancient petroglyphs scattered high and low on the surrounding ledges, it was a photographer’s dream. Check out the postings on my Photography Gallery here … Ireteba Peaks Wilderness Area and Keyhole Canyon.

Journal Entry for Monday, Oct 24th

Killer Elite The other movie we saw last week was, Killer Elite, staring tough-guy Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro. Supposedly  based on a shocking true story, Killer Elite pits two of the world's most elite operatives for hire - Danny, an ex-special ops agent (played by Jason Statham) and Hunter, his longtime friend and mentor (played by Robert De Niro) - against the cunning leader of a secret military society (played by Clive Owen). Covering the globe from Australia to Paris, London and the Middle East, Danny and Hunter are plunged into a highly dangerous game of cat and mouse where the predators become the prey. Once you’ve seen more than one Jason Statham movie, you know what to expect – a good ol’ slam-bang action movie with Statham kicking some serious butt. "Killer Elite" is no different. Though panned by a lot of critics, this action packed movie was just up our alley. We gave it 3-Stars.

Journal Entry for Sunday, Oct 23rd

The Ides of March Thought I would use today’s post to talk about one of the two movies that we took in while vacationing in Laughlin last week - The Ides of March. The story takes place during the frantic last days of a heavily contested presidential primary. Up-and-coming campaign press secretary (played by Ryan Gosling) finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate's shot at the presidency. Though not exactly a revelatory story, it is a supremely well-acted drama. Though we both like George Clooney, Ryan Gosling was excellent in his part as the Governor’s press secretary. Some reviewers noted that it “moves at a calm, confident clip”, we both referred to it as just “slow paced”. We only give it 3-1/2 Stars.

Journal Entry for Saturday, Oct 22nd

East Coast Eats Since our arrival home from last week’s ‘mini-vacation’ in Laughlin, we haven’t done anything special; just getting back into our normal routines; me on the computer in the morning while Connie reads, then out for a little gambling and dining. Today we picked up dinner takeout from our new favorite restaurant, East Coast Eats. This the third time we’ve eaten here in the past two weeks. The last time we had the hot roast beef sub and onion rings – both outstanding. Today we picked up the Steak Bomb. It was the best we’ve ever had. The steak was extremely tender, and it had just the right amount of cooked onions, green peppers and cheese.

Journal Entry for Friday, Oct 21st

Christmas Tree Pass On our drive back to Las Vegas, I decided, much to Connie’s chagrin, to leave the highway and take Christmas Tree Pass Road for a picture taking adventure. Although much of this road is like driving on a washboard, with occasional deep ruts and protruding rocks, careful and slow driving will allow a passenger car to traverse the full length of the road. With occasional stops for picture taking, this 15-mile stretch added two hours to our drive home. Fortunate, I was able to capture some nice scenic pictures of the surrounding landscape. Check out the Daytrip entry on my Photo Gallery site for more info and pictures … Daytrip - Christmas Tree Pass

Journal Entry for Thursday, Oct 20th

Three More Free Nights On our last night we stayed at the Colorado Belle Casino; and what a night it was. For some apparently ‘unknown’ reason the fire alarm in our room started going off at around 12:45 am and continued to do so about every half hour. I finally went down to the desk, where there were several others with the same problem, and ended up getting an upgraded room for the rest of the night. Needless to say, by the time we moved over to it and finally got back to sleep, we didn’t get much sleep that night. Upon checked out, I made it a point to complain about this and a couple of other problems we had encountered and ended of getting a comp for three free nights in a river-front room, usable anytime in the next 12 months.

Journal Entry for Wednesday, Oct 19th

By The Pool Over the course of our five days in Laughlin, we spent many hours reading and relaxing by the pool at Harrah’s. One of the great things about this place is that they have two separate pool and spa areas, one being “adults only”. They also have covered cabanas offering shade on a first come first use basis; meaning if you get there early, you are always guaranteed getting one. We usually stop by McDonald’s on the way down for some breakfast sandwiches and coffee and have breakfast by the pool with the morning paper or a book.

Journal Entry for Tuesday, Oct 18th

Motown After Dark The highlight of our second day in Laughlin was the Nathan Owens Motown After Dark R&B show we attended at Harrah’s. With music of Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner and James Brown, groups like the Spinners and others who made serious contributions to the R&B music of the era. Steve Baldwin, who is not only blind, but also looks like Stevie Wonder, did a great tribute to Stevie Wonder. Stephanya Barranti was excellent doing Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin. It was a very energetic non-stop show that lasted for nearly two hours. Though overall we both thought it was a little too loud, we both enjoyed.

Journal Entry for Monday, Oct 17th

Comedy On The Edge Our first night in Laughlin we attended the Comedy On The Edge show featuring Vicki Barbolak and Cindy Burns in the Inferno showroom at the Edgewater Casino showroom. Cindy Burns was the “lead-in” for Vicki and was very funny. She mocks everyone including herself by finding peoples imperfections and turning it into humor. Vicki’s humor is based partly on her life as a three times married Mom living in a trailer park in San Diego, struggling with finance, family and relationships, and is genuinely funny. her humor has a Universal quality that all types of audiences relate to and love.

Journal Entry for Sunday, Oct 16th

Check-in at Colorado Belle This morning we packed up and headed to Laughlin again for the second time this fall. This time we had free nights at both the Colorado Belle and Harrah’s and double booked them both. As you can see from the picture on the left (click to enlarge) the Colorado Belle is a replica of a 19th century Mississippi paddlewheel riverboat. Set in the water on the west bank of the Colorado River, it offers some great river views, however, because the Belle isn’t up to the standards of Harrah’s, we booked the same three nights at Harrah’s so we would be able to use their pool and beach. Weather wise this is the best time of year to visit Laughlin and we just love sitting, reading and relaxing by their pool, and they have the best beach on the river. After checking in at both places we headed over to the Golden Nugget for the Sunday brunch at Harlow’s. Voted the best Champagne Brunch in Laughlin we thought we would give it a try. We were not disappointed! With more than three dozen items to choose from, we tried the frogs legs, escargot in a garlic butter sauce, crab legs, sliced breast of duck in a cherry reduction sauce, the largest shrimp I’ve ever seen on a buffet, made to order waffles w/ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream, steamed asparagus, prime rib, and cherries jubilee for dessert. It was an unbelievable feast. After brunch we went back to Harrah’s where we did some gambling until it was time to head out to Edgewater comedy club where we saw Cindy Burns and Vickie Barbolak. After the show we drove back to Harrah’s, went to our room and called it a night.

Journal Entry for Friday, Oct 14th

Moneyball This movie, based on a true story, is for anybody who has ever dreamed of taking on the system. Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) is the general manager of the Oakland A's and the guy who assembles the team. After the loss of three star players, he determines that all of baseball's conventional wisdom is wrong. Forced to reinvent his team on a tight budget, Beane sets out to outsmart the richer clubs. The onetime jock teams up with an Ivy League grad, and statistics genius, Peter Brand (played by Jonah Hill) in an unlikely partnership, recruiting bargain players that the scouts call flawed, but all of whom have an ability to get on base, score runs, and win games. Not only is this a good story, it makes you want to root for Billy Beane and the team all the way. Just a little slow at times, it is extremely well acted. We both really liked it and would give it 4-Stars. (M2-G1&G2-10/16/11)

Journal Entry for Wednesday, Oct 12

East Coast Eats Today we decided to try out East Coast Eats, a new restaurant only two miles from where we live. Located in a strip mall at 50 Valle Verde Drive, this place opened in mid-April and I don’t know what took us so long to try it out. It is a relatively small restaurant with a “fast-food” atmosphere where customers order at the counter and the cashiers deliver orders to the storefront's 10 tables. There are a large variety of sub sandwiches, pizzas, calzones, Italian dishes and seafood items on its extensive menu, with the “Boston's Own Roast Beef” and the “Steak Bomb” (featuring onions, roasted green pepper, mushrooms and cheese) being the most popular. With weekly shipments of fresh seafood -- including soft-shell Ipswich clams, haddock, scallops and shrimp – arriving on Wednesdays, we decided to share the Seafood Platter (with all of the above plus fries, onion rings and coleslaw). In addition to being plenty large enough for both of us to share, we both agreed that it was the best fried seafood we’ve had since coming to Vegas. Everything was cooked to perfection. I would definitely consider our meal as "high-quality restaurant food” even though it is served in a “ fast-food like” atmosphere. It definitely made us feel like we were back in New England; there is no doubt that we will be making many return trips to the establishment.

Journal Entry for 10/09/2011

bgfa | Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art As I noted in my journal entry for yesterday, we traveled down to the Bellagio to grab a little culture at the Gallery of Fine Art. Because it was free for locals, we had to wait in line for more than 40 minutes to see the bgfa’s latest exhibit, "A Sense of Place: Landscapes from Monet to Hockney." This showcase included more than 30 artworks by artists including Claude Monet, David Hockney, Marc Chagall, Helen Frankenthaler, Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Robert Rauschenberg, Christo, Vik Muniz and others. Though I had several favorites, I think these three topped the list. Top left is Alfred Sisley’s, "The Loing at Saint-Mammès," 1882. Oil on canvas from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Bequest of William A. Coolidge. And I just loved the vibrant color of David Hockney's "Garrowby Hill", 1998 - Oil on Canvas, again, courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It depicts an English country-scape of rolling hills and a winding highway ascending to an unfolding of farmland, its sections cut almost like diamond shards. Finally there was Eugene Louis Boudin's "Venice, Santa Maria della Salute from San Giorgio" from 1895. The softness of this painting’s long shot of Venice's picturesque loveliness with gondolas floating upon crystalline aqua water fronting the city under a gentle, light purple-ish sky was just mesmerizing. This was also Connie's favorite. [Note: Be sure to click on each picture to view it full size]  (M2-G1&G2&G3-10/09/11)

Journal Entry for 10/08/2011

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, Botanical Garden and Lobster ME Today I had two free tickets for the new exhibit entitled “A Sense of Place: Landscapes from Monet to Hockney” at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. Normally admission is $12/person, making this a great deal. While we were there we also stopped at the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden to view the new “2011 Fall Harvest” exhibit. Both were quite enjoyable and made for a lovely afternoon. Afterwards, we stopped at the Planet Hollywood casino to try out the new restaurant, Lobster ME. Their signature item is advertised as the world’s best lobster roll. Large pieces of lobster meat are prepared in their 'secret' version of the traditional fashion before being generously layered into locally made, freshly toasted rolls. Both were served with some delicious French fries and a Diet Pepsi. Though we both like a lobster roll with a little more mayo, it was filled with lobster meat and was without a doubt the best lobster roll we’ve had since leaving New England. Not cheap at $20 each, they still made for a very enjoyable dinner.

Journal Entry for 10/06/2011

Benise Concert The highlight of our day today was the Benise concert that we attended at the Henderson Pavilion just up the street from where we live. Benise is a Spanish, flamenco guitarist that puts on a fantastic stage show with musicians, dancers, singers all encased in with outstanding backdrops and lighting effects. We first saw him on a PBS special and really fell in love with him. He is like the Yanni of guitars. - If you get a chance to catch the PBS special, or a live performance, don’t miss it! He is a must see performer. Read more about him here ... http://www.benise.com/